Improvement in door-plates and card-receivers



S. A. A DWIN. DUUR PLATE A GARD RBCEIV No, 36,388. Patent UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SARAH A. BALDWIN, OF WATERBRY, CONNECTICUT.

VIMPROVEMENT in Doon-PLATES AND cpARD-Rl-:celvnns Specification forming part of, Letters Patent N0. 36,388, dated September-9, 1862.

zontal section ofthe same, taken in the line y y, Fig. 1..

Similar letters of reference indicate corre spending parts in the scveralligures.

This invention consists in combining a doorplate and slides with a card-receiver and a clamp arranged in such a manner that a visitor may be inlforined whether the occupant of the house is at home or not, 'and in ease of not being at home admitof the card of the visitor being deposited within the re ceiver, sol that the occupant may obtain a knowledge ol' the call upon arriving at home, the invention also admitting of' the application of the card or address of any individual member of thehouse to indicate his or her ab` sence.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully un# derstandand construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it. i

A represents a door-plate, which may be of any desired form,` with the name of the occu pant of the` house engraved or otherwise marked upon it. In the upper part of the door-plate there is placeda horizontal slide, B, whiclnwhen closed, covers the entrance of a card-receiver, G, which isformed by having. a recess made in the Aback of the-plate. lf the doorplate be of metal, this recess or cardreceiver may be formed by swaging the plate so as to leave a beveled flange, a, all around its edge, the edge lof the flange being secu red to the door and leaving a space Abetween the .latter and the main portion orbody of the plate, as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

The slide B has engraved on yone side of it the words At Home,77 and Not at Home77 on the opposite side, or other words of similar or like import, the slide ad mitting of being reversed, so that either notice may be exposed, asmay be required. 'This slide is fitted between suitable guides, b b, at the upper and lower edgesof the orifice c of the card-re-l ceiver C.

To the face of the door-plate, and directly over the slide B,there is attached a clamp,D, which isforrmed of asmall lever, d, havingits fuleruiiilpin c in a projection, f. To the inner side of' the longer end of this .lever there is attached a spring, g, which bears against the door-plate and has a tendency to keep the`short end in lcontact with said plate, the

short ends of the lever having a dat jaw, h,

which forms a good bearing-surface to hold a card or address to the plate. (See more par ticularl y Fig. 3.)

If a visitor calls and finds that the occupant is not at home, the same being indicated by the slide B, the latter may be withdrawn and the card of the visitor inserted inthe receiver C, the slide beingfthen replaced as before.

The occupant on arriving at home'and inspecting the receiverl abstracts the `card,andthereby obtains aknowledge of the call. This card receiver may also be used as a note-receiver,- and should be inspected daily by the occupant or a servant of the household. In cases where an individual member of the family is absent his or her address may be placed inthe clamp D to indicate the absence.

A metal slide, E, may be fitted overan openlng in the lower part of; the door-plate. This slide may contain the number ofthe house; or it may have the name of the occupant engraved en it, in case the plate be of porcelain. Itmay alsolservc as ,a convenient means for removing the cards or notes from the 'receiver C. t

rlhis invention may be constructed at amodl era'tc cost, notmuch above that ofan ordinary doorplate, and will prove a great acquisition toI those who receive many visitors and are in the habit. of making calls,

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters' Patent, is#- 1-. The combination ofthe door-plate A', reversible slide B, and card-receiver (Lui-ranged substantially as and for the purpose herein set forth.

2. The clamp D, when applied tothe doorplal'c A and used in connection with the cardrecciver C, for the purpose specified.

SARAH A. BALDWIN.

Witnesses:

Jas. R'. AYREs. STEPHEN W. KELLoee. 

